Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-03-19

The doctor looked grave, and predicted
| fever, which soon set in. We made the
patient as comfortable as possible, furnish
ing his room with whatever could be spared,
| and inducing the coachman and gardener
to take turns at nursing him-though Gerty
insisted on experimenting everything per-
tanning to the sick chamber and in few
| days Ichabod was convalsscent, though
| very feeble.
II.
As our patient began to mend ne seemed
| quite proud of the transformation that had
b en- effected in his room, and to find him
! self installed there in any easy chair before
pleasant CRATE stove which had been pro-
| yided, for il was November now, and the
mountain airs were raw and chilly.
He was sitting thus by the fire, with his
sad ewes taking i'll the landscape, when
Gerry and l called to see him on certain
morning he had set as the occasion upon
which he would tell us his history.
"Im SO weak, sir" said he at last, that
| I'll have to tell my story by fits and starts,
| | reckon. My father is still in business i'll
| Buffalo, and he must be mighty rich by
| this time. Leastwise, he's always been
| foremost manufacturer of tin and japanned
ware-right at the top of the heap-and
never knew him to waste anything on him
self or his household My mother died
| when ! was baby, and I'm an only child.
I never was smalt, and, not having had
much kindness, grew up from being dull,
| ow-motioned boy, to being q rather
dreamy, dumb headed young man, when
my father, after putting me through the
| tin shops, took me into his factory office.
| I'm not sure whether l was a natural born
| fool, or if the queer, lost kind of feeling
! that now and then took hold of my head
was due to an accident that bafell me when
| / was little shaver, when / came mighty
near being drowned, and was only fetched
back to life at the last moment. My father
| took the natural born view of it. Anyway.
! he was tearing hard on me. He used to
| cuff me around to his hearts content when
ever anything went wrong, and was never
tired complimenting me with such such
| epithets as Jackass,' Land Tortoise,
Small Hopes, and the like. suppose he
was about right. Anything like mathe-
, matics was always a knotty puzzle for me.
| and | was unable to touch the accounts
, without botching EN-.
| AT last my father gave up trying to
| make clerk of lie. and sent me out as a
| travelling agent TO solicit orders among the
| country towns. At this sort of thing sue
ceeded much better. The open-ai excr-
else of travelling from place to place, by
boat, car, buggy, or wagon, agreed with me
first rate. My head got more settled, and
as | was gentle and unassuming l mostly
made friends of the country folks. Indeed,
| | did so we'll at the start that even the gov
ernor said in my hearing after my return
that there might be some go in that Junk
head son of his, after all; at which | real
| ly began to feel encouraged.
But about this time there came to live
with us Selma Graves. She was g distant
cousin of mine, suddenly left without par
ents or friends in far-away down East
village. My father took it into his head to
befriend her, with the idea that she might
in time take the drudging- place of old Mrs.
! Lump, our housekeeper, who was growing
more rheumatic and useless every day. But,
| shrewd as the governor was, he was out in
| his calculations for once in his life, at
least.
| Selma was a very handsome and spirited
woman, and she possessed even more force
of character than good looks. The old man
was soon as helplessly under her thumb as
| | was. Instead of taking Mrs. Jumps
place, Selma hired another servant, besides
retaining the old woman. and soon installed
| herself as the capricious mistress of the
| establishment.
"My father rebelled at first, but finally
| gave in to her in everything. AS for me. |
was overjoyed with the change from the
outset. We began to enjoy the good things
of life, like other well-to-do people. In
| few months Selma and were secretly en-
! gagged to be married-secretly, you know,
because the governor didn't seem to relish
our taking up with each other. But that
brief period was the only happiness | have
| ever known. Selma pretended to return
my passion as we'll as she knew how--she
| isn't of the warm Or clinglng sort, by the
way-while I-oh! can't tell you how /
| loved her."
| Here the narrator paused, and looked
more intently out on the river, as though to
concentrate his thoughts.
| Don't try to tell us. Ichabod, don't try,"
said Gerty, in her most solemn. and owlish
vein of emphasis. "Such sentiments are
| Sacred, and should be clustered in inmost
| Silence"
Thank you, Miss Gertrude" said Flot-
sam, gratefully. We'll, as was a-saying,
things went ON this way for good many
months, during which made several bust
ness trips, only to hurry back to love and
| JOY. | could often see that the governor
! didn't like it. He never made any decided
| objections, however, save to grow cross and
restless when Selma and were much to-
| gether. Still, don't think he ever i'm
| agined there was any actual engagement be-
| tween us.
AT last l set out on the most extensive
| trip | had YET taken. Here all my ney
misfortunes began. All the wickednes
| came ont in this way.
"My father had Il mortal horror of pay.
| ing ont ready cash where it could be avoid
| ed. Therefore. l was accustomed to payin,
| my travelling expenses with orders TO
small amounts drawn by him on dealer
owing him money in the towns and village
through which / passed, the same bein!
| carried to their credit on our books at tn
time the orders or drafts were given to mi
| just before setting out. On this last trip
| had given to me as many as fifteen of thes
orders. They were in various amounts
ranging from five to twenty-five dollars
| On the night before left home they wer
handed to me by my father in our parlor il
a sealed package, as was his custom, an,
the next morning | set out, intending no
to break the package till should require t,
make use of the orders. Everything wen
smoothly till l was passing through Yer
mont having made use of nearly all tn
orders, when | was seized for forgery. m,
father himself having telegraphed for IN,
arrest. Four of the drafts had found thei
way back to him, and been pronounced
| forgeries.
/ Il was carried back to the New Yorl
town where the fraudulent orders had beef
cashed, and cast into prison. Being per
fectly innocent of crime, of course as
serted as much Indignantly, but was full,
committed for trial. Then gentleman
had never seen before-but who must hav'
Z e. 4.